Posts Tagged ‘important bird area’

Get to know some of the species at risk in the Lac Deschênes IBA with the Species Spotlight, aka “Sp-Spot”. Today meet the: Least Bittern Scientific Name: Ixobrychus exilis SARA Status: Threatened; Ontario: Threatened; Quebec: Vulnerable Taxonomic Group: Birds Size: length of 28-36 cm, wingspan of 41-46 cm Least Bitterns are slightly larger than an American Robin. The Least Bittern has buffy and brown plumage with buff streaks on its white underside. Its back and crown are black in males and lighter in females and juveniles. It has a buffy patch on its wing that is visible in flight. The biggest threats to them are loss and degradation of habitat.… read more →

Get to know some of the species at risk in the Lac Deschênes IBA with the Species Spotlight, aka “Sp-Spot”. Today meet the: Eastern Ribbonsnake. Sp-Spot: Eastern Ribbonsnake Scientific Name: Thamnophis sauritus SARA Status: Special Concern; Ontario: Special Concern; Quebec: Likely to be designated Taxonomic Group: Serpentes Size: 46 to 86 cm The eastern ribbonsnake is a beautiful, slender snake that is often confused with the eastern garter snake. They have three yellow stripes along their back on a dark brown or black background. Their chins and throats are white or pale yellow, and their belly is pale green, yellow, or white. The best way to differentiate a ribbonsnake from… read more →

Get to know some of the species at risk in the Lac Deschênes IBA with the Species Spotlight, aka “Sp-Spot”. Today meet the: Bobolink Scientific Name: Dolichonyx oryzivorus SARA Status: No status; Ontario: Threatened Taxonomic group: Birds Size: 15.2-20.5 cm size, with a wingspan of 27 cm. Males weighs 34-56g and females 29-49g The Bobolink is medium-sized, grassland, song bird. It has a short, pointed tail, and a short, conical bill. During the breeding season, the male’s plumage is very unique and distinctive. Black underneath and white on the shoulders and rump contrasts sharply with the bright yellow patch on the back of its head. In the non breeding season… read more →

Get to know some of the species at risk in the Lac Deschênes IBA with the Species Spotlight, aka “Sp-Spot”. Today meet the: Black tern Scientific Name: Chlidonias niger SARA Status: Not listed; Ontario: Special Concern Taxonomic group: Birds Size: 20 to 26 cm long, with a wingspan of 57-60 cm. Weight of 50-60 g. The Black Tern is a small, dark and fresh water bird. It has a forked tail, straight pointed black bill, slender shape and long, narrow wings. During breeding season, the head is black and chest and wings are grey. In non breeding season, the head and underside are white, wings are grey, and there is a… read more →

Britannia Beach. Yes, we Ottawans have a beautiful beach. Having recently returned from England, I often feel a compulsion to run down to the beach just to see it there. It’s the kind of place you travel to other places to see. This past August, my husband and I were married on the shores of the Ottawa River with grey herring gulls flying overhead. It was a perfect day. After the whole wedding etc, I realized I wanted to give back to the place that gave me so much. Supporting Nature Canada in their Clean-up Ottawa enterprise was just the right thing. In the early hours of the morning, my… read more →

Get to know some of the species at risk in the Lac Deschenes Ottawa River IBA with the Species Spotlight, aka “Sp-Spot.” Today meet the: American Eel Scientific Name: Anguilla rostrata SARA Status: Not listed; Ontario: Endangered; Quebec: Likely to be designated Taxonomic group: Fishes Size: Adult females can grow up to 1 m in length; while males are smaller growing up to 0.4 m. The American Eel has a long and serpentine body, with a single fin that extends around the tail to the belly, known technically as the ventral side, and has deeply embedded rudimentary scales. Their lips are thick and the lower jaw it is slightly longer… read more →

Last week Nature Canada had the great pleasure of cosponsoring a launch for Canadian author Caroline Balderston Parry’s latest book, The Heron Spirals: A Commonplace Book. The launch event was held at the beautiful Britannia Yacht Club, right inside the Lac Deschênes – Ottawa River IBA, and was enjoyed by more than 50 people from the area. Both the Yacht Club and the Britannia Village Community Association helped to sponsor and publicize the launch. Balderston Parry’s book is a journey through a bittersweet 15-year period in her adult life surrounding the sudden loss of her husband, through which the Great Blue Herons of Mud Lake, Ottawa – a natural gem of the Lac Deschênes –… read more →

Nature Canada’s first ever Fall BioBlitz was a huge success! We were joined by over 200 citizens of the national capital region who accompanied local expert naturalists on guided walks where they learned to identify plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles and more! A BioBlitz can take many forms, but is generally an intense 24 hour survey of a location with a mission to identify as many living things as possible at the site. With the help of naturalists and citizen investigators we managed to identify a total of 295 species, at least four of which are considered species at risk: the Common Nighthawk, the Rusty Blackbird, the Butternut tree and the… read more →

Brett Hare was an intern with Nature Canada’s conservation team in the early part of 2013. He spoke with Rick Whitman, Minas Basin Important Bird Area Caretaker, about his role in the IBA Caretaker program. Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin has been designated an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) due to its significance as a staging area for many bird species. The tide here fluctuates 16-17 meters between high and low tide. During medium and low tides, vast expanses of mudflats are exposed, creating a tremendous feeding area for shorebirds. Rick Whitman has been a caretaker for the Minas Basin IBA for over a year, possessing a passion for birds… read more →